Monument for COVID-19 health-care heroes
Holness says country better equipped for another such crisis if necessary
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Monday unveiled a monument in honour of health-care workers who died while combating the COVID-19 pandemic and said the Government’s increased investments in health care have equipped the country to deal with another similar crisis, should it happen.
Pointing to the introduction of the Dr Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship in 2024, Holness said, “We are investing $2.5 billion to support 607 students pursuing studies in medical technology, nursing, biomedical engineering, and other critical health-related fields.”
The scholarship is ensuring the building of a robust pipeline of professionals “dedicated to service in the health sector”.
“This is a solid commitment of how the Government is dealing with building resilience in the system, supporting our professionals, and at the same time ensuring that we can deliver health care with care,” the prime minister said at the ceremony at National Chest Hospital in St Andrew.
He noted that while July has been earmarked to recognise the “selfless contribution of those who carried us through the crisis, more needs to be done”.
“Our appreciation cannot be confined to a single month or a single event. It must be reflected in how we value and support our health-care professionals every single day. To the families of the fallen, I know that no words can fill the space left, especially for your loved ones,” Holness said.
He underscored that the legacies of the health-care workers live on in the patients they treated, the lives they touched, and now in the monument that has been erected.
“Let us commit to a Jamaica where those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are themselves cared for. Let us also commit to upholding the values these health-care workers have embodied — care, compassion, resilience and unity. In their action and sacrifice, they made a choice,” the prime minister said.
March 10 marks the fifth anniversary since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the country, and the fourth year since the start of the recovery with the administration of vaccines.
